HABITUAL RESERVE OP THE AMERICANS. 239 



of discovering treasures ; but they only found broken 

 pottery, burnt wood, and now and then a bone. They 

 are situated in the most fertile soil of the State, and the 

 Indians know nothing about them. 



At length the swamps were behind us. "We crossed 

 a small prairie, j)assed an old buffalo salt-hck, and 

 arrived at Slowtrap's dwelling, planted on a spur of the 

 hills which ran out into the plains. It was in no way 

 different from the usual log-houses : sixteen feet square, 

 from nine to ten high, with an enormous fireplace, 

 no window, and a weighted roof; close by was a field 

 of about seven acres, planted with maize. His wife 

 and children stood at the door as we arrived, and 

 although I knew that they were much attached to each 

 other, and lived happily together, and he had been 

 about three weeks absent, not the least word was 

 exchanged that could be construed into a greeting. 

 " Take my saddle in," said S. to liis eldest son, a boy 

 of eight years old, who was leaning on the fence, 

 looking at us as if v/e were perfect strangers, in whom 

 he had no concern. At last, when the horse was cared 

 for, and all things in ' their places, S. went into the 

 house, took a seat, and lifted his youngest child into his 

 lap ; — and then he said, " How do you do, all of you ? " 

 This distant reserve of the Americans, so prevalent 

 even in their own families, often struck cold on my 

 heart, and made me regret my native land. Man and 

 wife are often as reserved towards each other as two 

 strangers who meet for the first time, and care not 

 about meeting again. I have seen Americans leave 

 home to be absent for months, without shaking hands 

 with their wives, or saying " Good-by," and it is the 



